Local rubber producers find it difficult to increase their output due to the unavailability of good planting materials and the presence of pests and diseases in their farms, according to a report released recently by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In its report titled “Commodity Marketing System for Rubber,” PSA said the occurrence of wintering period and the lack of knowledge of tappers on tapping techniques affected the volume of latex the rubber trees could produce.
“These [issues] were aside from the lack of fertilization, unavailability of good planting materials, and presence of pests and diseases,” the study read.
Marketing at the farm level, PSA said, was affected by price fluctuations, monopolized pricing by traders, use of defective weighing scale by the buyers and the theft of the latex produced by farmers.
Competition and low quality of cuplumps and latex procured and cash advances made by farmers, PSA said, were the common problems mentioned by traders.
PSA said processors said the lack of electricity in their area is their main problem as this could delay their operations.
The study covered the major rubber-producing provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, North Cotabato and Agusan del Sur.
PSA data showed that rubber production in 2014 grew by a minimal 1.85 percent to 453,060 metric tons (MT) from 444,810 MT posted in 2013. Output went up on the back of continued increases in the number of tapped trees in major rubber-producing regions in the country.
The price of rubber, PSA said, is continuously decreasing. In 2014 another 36.28 percent in price cut was recorded. The agency said this is due to the lower buying price set by traders because of the declining world market price and the inferior quality of rubber produced.
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Based on the problems encountered by the producers,can i borrow instrument or the questionnaire ?